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Even as that realization dawned, Dev was halting her, pushing her flat against the prickly wall of the

corridor in which they now stood. An instant later, Tabitha understood why he had stopped. The

corridor was a dead end.

He turned to her, silver eyes like slivers of steel. Tabitha stared up at him in dumbfounded amazement

This wasn’t the man she knew. This couldn’t be the gentle, vulnerable, self-effacing man she had seduced

last night! This Dev Colter was a man of forceful action and danger. She realized she was almost as

afraid of him as she was of Steve Waverly and the thin man who had held the gun on her. Tabitha’s

mouth was abruptly dry.

“Don’t move. Not an inch,” he growled almost soundlessly. “And don’t say a word. We’re only going to

get one chance. Nod your head if you understand.”

Mutely Tabitha inclined her head once in a jerky little nod. Her nails pressed anxiously into her palms.

He continued to stare down at her a second longer, and then he turned back toward the entrance of the

dead-end corridor in which they stood.

Tabitha stayed where she was, pressed flat against the boxwood wall, and stared after him. He moved

soundlessly on the grass which carpeted the maze, but she had the feeling that he would have moved just

as lightly over dried twigs or stones. Even with his obvious dependency on the cane, there was a feral

quality about Dev, a quality she ought to have noticed long before this. Why hadn’t she?

The answer came almost at once: Because she had wanted to see another kind of man altogether. Her

imagination had created as unreal a beast as any that ever graced a medieval bestiary. Now she was

faced with the very real man behind the fabulous construct created by her own desires.

She watched, aware that there was another beast prowling the maze besides Dev. Steve Waverly had

followed them through the boxwood entrance, and there was no reason to think he had turned around

and retreated. He would know his quarry was unarmed and he seemed to want something Dev had.

Dev halted for a moment before stepping out into the next angled aisle of the maze. Tabitha heard the

faintest of soft, snicking noises as he lifted the cane for a moment, and then, to her fascinated horror, she

saw the wicked, steel blade that had emerged from the tip of the cane. Her eyes were glued to the deadly

sword as Dev glanced back over his shoulder. The intent mask of his features grew colder and more

brutal than ever.

Slowly she raised her eyes to his face, and Dev wanted to curse aloud at the expression he saw in them.

For God’s sake! Did she think he could take care of Waverly by being Mr. Nice Guy? The sword cane

was little enough defense against the gun as it was. She looked as if she didn’t want him to have even that

much of a weapon!

No, he told himself in the next breath, it wasn’t that she wished him unarmed. She wished him to

disappear, along with the entire situation. Hell, he was going to have his hands full trying to pacify her

after this was all over. She was clearly half in shock. Abruptly he turned away, not wanting to suffer

another instant of that accusing, pleading glance. First things first.

Soundlessly he slipped out into the adjoining passage. His stiff leg kept him from the smooth, gliding

pace which had once been his to use at will, but at least it didn’t keep him from being able to move

altogether. He didn’t dare rely on the cane now. It had to be kept ready for the instant it would be

needed. How far into the maze had Waverly come?

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Dev paused to listen, trying to revive all the old instincts and the once-highly attuned senses. Too bad he

hadn’t listened to those senses earlier. He might have been able to avoid this stupid mess altogether. If

anything happened to Tabby, it would be all his fault. The thought made him clench the ebony cane more

violently than ever. Deliberately he relaxed the grip. Tension wasn’t going to do him any good. It

obscured the awareness he needed at the moment.

There, behind him, back toward the entrance to the maze. He turned cautiously, willing the faint, rasping

sound to repeat itself. Slowly he made his way down the narrow corridor. Would Waverly be fool

enough to blunder through the maze looking for him? Or would he realize the danger of hunting when you

couldn’t see around the next corner? Dev glanced down at the tip of the sword in his hand. All he needed

was an instant’s warning. Just one lousy instant of advantage.

The rasping sound came again. Waverly was moving deeper into the maze, certain he held the only

weapon. Dev felt the infuriating stiffness in his knee and gritted his teeth. He had told Delaney he had no

business getting back into this life. A man pushing forty and cursed with a game leg was hardly prime

material for this kind of work.

The faint, rasping sound came once more. Waverly was either not terribly worried about giving away his

location, or he simply didn’t know how to move silently. The younger man would be in a hurry to wind

up the situation before other tourists came wandering down into the garden. Perhaps that urgency would

make the damn beach boy careless. Dev deliberately slowed his breathing, striving to focus all his

attention on his sense of hearing. Then the boxwood wall beside him vibrated ever so slightly.

Waverly was in the neighboring passage.

The question, Dev realized grimly, was how could he be certain which end of the passage would be

open. He might turn the corner up ahead and find himself facing another wall of thick boxwood. Or he

might find himself facing Waverly’s gun.

The only sensible thing to do was to station himself at the intersection ahead and wait. Waiting was one

thing he could do far better than Waverly could. Younger men tended to be far more impatient. Yeah,

Dev told himself evenly, I’ll wait this one out.

He advanced to the intersection and then pressed his back to the wall, his head turned to the side so that

he could watch the opening. Eventually Waverly would find his way past this corridor entrance. The maze

wasn’t so complicated that it couldn’t be searched by someone intent on doing exactly that. At least in

this position, Dev thought, he was between Waverly and Tabitha. She was in a dead-end corridor and

there weren’t any other intersections between him and her except the one he had just come through.

And Waverly was still on the other side of the boxwood wall. Dev could hear the faint sound of the

other man’s breathing now. Then Waverly lost his patience altogether.

“Listen to me, Colter,” he hissed, his voice so unexpectedly close that Dev instinctively tensed. “All I

want is the film. Bring it to the front of the maze and I’ll let both of you go.”

Sure you will, Dev thought silently. What kind of a fool do you think I am, kid? Just keep coming this

way.

“Can you hear me, Colter?”

Dev waited silently. Waverly’s voice was a little farther away now. Was he going to search another

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corridor before he came down the one which formed the intersection Dev was guarding? Apparently so.

The waiting was always the worst part. But when your life depended on it, you learned to wait. Patiently.

The minutes clicked past. Occasionally Waverly called out persuasively, but Dev just went on waiting.

Sooner or later the man had to come down this corridor.

Steve Waverly eventually made his way down the narrow passage which joined with the one in which

Dev stood. The younger man was making very little effort to cover the sound of his movements now. It

was obvious he was getting nervous about the unfinished business. It was that nervousness which gave

Dev his opportunity.

Waverly came down the corridor at a trot, moving much too hastily and too noisily. Dev gathered

himself. As he had told Tabby, there was only going to be one chance. He waited one more excruciating

second, buying all the advantage he could.

Then, when he sensed that Waverly was only a couple of feet from the intersection, Dev threw himself

out into the passage, the blade of the sword cane slashing unerringly around in a curve, searching for its

prey.

Steve Waverly yelled in astonishment as his intended victim emerged from the corridor to the right, but

before he could squeeze off a shot, cold steel had sliced a scarlet ribbon across the arm which held the

weapon. The gun fell from nerveless fingers. Waverly screamed again and clutched at his bleeding arm.

“Don’t move or the next thing I slash will be your throat.”

Dev emphasized his words by letting the tip of the sword cane lie menacingly alongside Waverly’s neck.

The blond man froze, his eyes glazed with pain and fear. Cautiously, the sword never moving an inch,

Dev balanced himself on his good leg and used the other to kick the gun farther out of reach. He didn’t

dare attempt to lean down and pick it up. The awkward movement might make his balance too

precarious. Damned leg.

“All right, Waverly. Let’s go. Turn around and head back toward the entrance.”

“For God’s sake! I’m bleeding to death!”

“You’ll live. Unfortunately. Now
move
!”

“Listen, Colter. We can make a deal here. I’ll split the profit off that damn film. You can have Eddie’s

share.”

“Eddie’s your good buddy lying unconscious out there on the grass?”

“That’s right. Forget him. You can have his portion.”

“Why do I get this nasty feeling that you can’t be relied on, Waverly?” Dev prodded his victim gently

with the cane, and the man moved uneasily back down the corridor.

“You can trust me.”

“Sure. Even if I could, I’d still want to slit your throat for the way you used my woman. That was a

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mistake, Waverly. A bad one. Give me half an excuse right now, and I’ll kill you for that.”

“I didn’t hurt her!”

“You threatened her. And you touched her. Didn’t I tell you just the other night that I’d take you apart if

you came near her?”

“Colter, listen to me!”

“Oh, shut up, Waverly. Just keep moving.”

“Which way? I’m lost.” Waverly glared furiously around as he came to a halt at the next intersection.

“To the right,” Dev said automatically, his sense of direction as sound as it had ever been in the past

Some instincts, apparently, didn’t fade. “Now left.”

Without hesitation Dev followed the proddings of his inner senses, pushing Waverly through the entrance

of the maze a couple of minutes later. “Lie down on the grass over there by your good friend Eddie.” He

waited as Waverly did as he was told.

“What about my arm?”

“What about it?” Dev asked carelessly. Then he raised his voice. “Tabby! Can you hear me? Come on

out of the maze.”

There was a moment’s silence.

“Tabby!”

“I hear you, Dev.” Her voice sounded very faint.

“Come on out. Everything’s under control.” Hell, his tone still sounded gruff, Dev realized vaguely. It

was hard to leach out the violence when your body still hummed with it “Tabby!” he tried again.

“Dev, I’m trying but it’s confusing.”

“What the hell…?”

“It’s a maze, Dev, remember?” There was a touch of asperity in the question. Her voice sounded even

more faint.

“Tabby, I can’t come and get you. I’ve got to keep an eye on Waverly. Listen, on your way out, watch

for the gun he dropped. Bring it with you.”

There was no answer this time. Dev waited again, but now he didn’t feel patient. He wanted to see her

again, reassure himself that she was safe, and then he wanted to get rid of Waverly and friend. The

sooner this mess was cleaned up, the better. Delaney could handle what was left of it. Dev knew that all

he himself wanted was to return to the ship with Tabby. He was going to be busy enough explaining

everything to her.

Three more minutes ticked past.

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“Tabby? What’s keeping you? Just walk back out the same way we went in.”

“I’m not sure which way that is! And stop yelling at me!”

“I’m not yelling at you. But I haven’t got all day!”

“Then just go ahead and leave without me!” she called back furiously.

At the caustic tone in her words Dev winced. She was more than a little upset, he realized. “Tabby?”

“I think I’m at the center of the maze.”

“Orient yourself with the sun!” he called back, aware that he must sound rather irritated by now. “Hurry

up.”

This time he received no answer at all. Several more minutes went by. Dev felt his annoyance growing.

Was she playing games with him? If that was the case… “About time you got here!” he muttered as she

suddenly appeared at the entrance. He had never been so happy to see anyone in his life.

But his expression didn’t convey his relief. Tabitha emerged to find him glaring at her, and she froze for

an instant at the tableau of the three men. Dev was standing guard with the edge of the sword hovering

close to a sullen-looking Waverly. The thin young man on the ground hadn’t yet awakened. Tabitha